Collection: Max Fleischer (1883-1972) Artist Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Max Fleischer was an American animator, inventor, film director and producer. Fleischer was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios. He brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations including the Rotoscope. Born on 17 July 1883 in Vienna, Austria, Max Fleischer was raised in a family of creative and inventive people. Immigrating to the United States with his family when he was four years old, Fleischer was raised in New York City. His entry into the field of animation began in 1915 when he and his brother, Dave, produced instructional cartoons for the U. S. Army. He was soon noticed by Paramount Pictures and contributed greatly to early innovations in the animation industry. During the 1930's, Max Fleischer released some of his most popular cartoon stars, including Betty Boop and Popeye. Although he and his brother created a few feature-length films hoping to capitalize on the success of Disney’s Snow White (1938), they were generally unsuccessful movies. It has been said that Max Fleischer was “at his best with grotesquely designed characters and wild non-sequitur sight gags; he was at his worst when trying to emulate Walt Disney.”

Max Fleischer sold his studio to Paramount but continued to work with the company as the production chief of cartooning until his retirement in the 1960's. Fleischer lost a lawsuit against Paramount in 1955 over the removal of his name from the credits of his films. While Fleischer had issues over the breach of contract, he had avoided suing to protect his son-in-law, Seymour Kneitel, who still had a position with Paramount's Famous Studios. The lawsuit was lost because the court decided that, though Fleischer's case had merit, the statute of limitations had expired. In 1958, Fleischer revived Out of the Inkwell Films, Inc. and partnered with his former animator, Hal Seeger to produce 100 color Out of the Inkwell (1960–1961) cartoons for television. Actor Larry Storch performed the voices for Koko and supporting characters Kokonut and Mean Moe. Throughout his career, Fleischer was known for his experimental and innovative techniques; he is credited with more than 20 motion picture production inventions and he was always trying out new tricks with the color, sound, and optical aspects of his work. Although he passed away in 1972, Max Fleischer is still recognized as one of the greatest American animators of the twentieth century.